Winner Winner! Twenty, SousVide Supreme, and Cocktail Name

This was chosen from many, many wonderful names, by Paulius and Claudia, and I whole-heartedly embrace this great and elegant name, in its saying Cleveland without using Cleveland, its nuanced suggestion of Christmas and fun without saying either. Poetry! “Major Award” is a reference, of course, to one of my favorite movies, “A Christmas Story,” which opens in Cleveland’s Public Square. Donna and I never see a box with “Fragile” written on it without saying aloud, “Fra-GEE-lay.” Darren McGavin’s major award was of course, the famous leg lamp. Stop by Paulius’s Velvet Tango Room, and you’ll see the lamp in an upstairs window. Stefan, Paulius says come on in and you’ll have a Major Award on the house. I’ll get a copy of Twenty out to you shortly! (Here’s a link to the drink itself, a decadent but simple combo of Scotch, truffled honey, and half-and-half.)

“My favorite technique has got to be acid, because it was such a revelation when I discovered its power. Before then, it was more salt, more butter, more something else to really bring a dish to life. And then when I found out just a little bit of lemon or vinegar could really make something sparkle, I was hooked.”

Dierdre Pim, of Cleveland Heights, OH (Yay, Cleveland Heights!)

“Hard to pick just one, but I think I’d say that dough is my favorite technique. I find working with yeast dough very therapeutic and I love the smell of bread baking and the satisfaction of cutting into a still steaming loaf of bread.”

Kristen Lubben, of Wilmington, NC

“Well, I don’t cook much because a) I usually mess it up and b) my hubby is a CIA grad and usually cooks for us instead (the kids are thankful) … but my favorite technique that HE does, is grilling. I’ll take the grill over all else any day! Nothing like that charred taste … and always over charcoal. Happy Holidays!”

Pamela Madera, of Hyannis, MA

“Think! Think a recipe through before you start and after you’ve made it. I’ve learned as much from my mistakes as I have from instruction.”

And via Twitter, the first to tweet all 20 Techniques, Melissa DiMauro, aka @suburbanitis of Fairport, NY

And finally the big ticket winner, winner of the SousVide Supreme and Ruhlman’s Twenty, is Rob White, of Belmont, NC. (All winners except for Stefan were chosen using a randomizer, btw.)

stefan

thank you michael, paulius, and claudia! it is an honor to have played a small part in the company of true artists. your works and dedication to the craft of food & drink continually set the bar. congratulations to all the winners, and happy holidays to all. cheers!

Pam

Mantonat

Great name for the cocktail, considering all the influences! So is that THE leg lamp from the movie at Velvet Tango, or just a similar leg lamp?

I didn’t have any truffle honey or Oban, so I made do with what was on hand – tamarisk honey from Colorado and Templeton rye whiskey from Iowa. Tamarisk honey is dark, earthy, and a little tannic or bitter at the end – very nice with the rye.

This cocktail sounds GREAT. I would love to see you mix up some drinks using locally distilled spirits. Micro-distilleries seem to be popping up all over the place. There are two here in Columbus that are both making some fantastic stuff. Any new players in the hooch business up in Cleveland?

Michael Ruhlman

Watershed Distillery in U.A. is fairly new (opened in 2010 I believe) and makes some pretty special gin. They just released their first bourbon, and it’s pretty tasty. They also released a bourbon barrel aged version of their gin recently, but I haven’t had the opportunity to try it. If you’re a gin fan, and I predict you are, their spirits are uncommonly good.

Mary

Allen

Love that movie, my favorite line: “nodafingah”!

I had a major number of these cocktails over the weekend, my only issue other than the cost was the ice. It does not mix well with milk when it melts. Chilled is good, but no need to dilute with water.
A jar of truffle honey cost more than two 1/2 gallons of Barton’s gin, so for special occasions in my house. I have no problem with Barton’s in a martini.

Must mention a great scotch if you like single malt. Johnnies Walker Green is a fantastic blend of four great malts. A perfect balance of two Islays and two Speysides.